The first, a white sport utility vehicle, was reported stolen about a half-mile south of the jail Sunday night. Officials found the SUV abandoned near Genesee on Monday morning close to where a 2012 blue Honda Pilot was stolen. Officials believe Sandlin could be fleeing in the Honda, which has the license plate number 251ZCD.

“Our initial hope was to keep him in a perimeter around the government complex,” Kelley said.

Kelley said the escape happened between 9 and 10 p.m. Sunday during an authorized outdoor recreation time.

“We used a couple of bloodhounds last night to run some tracks from the location where he pushed through some fencing and we were able to track away from the facility down the street a bit and the tracks stopped,” Kelley said.

Sandlin jumped about 10 feet down to escape after pushing through the facility’s metal mesh fence, Kelley said. As many as eight other inmates who were in the recreation area when the incident happened saw Sandlin escape but did not follow.

“He had two pretty significant drops,” Kelley said. “He may have a leg injury, a back injury. We also know that the way he pushed through the fencing, he should have some significant rake marks across his back.”

Some of Sandlin’s gray jail clothing was found on the fence through which he escaped. Deputies had checked 37 locations in the metro area for Sandlin as of Monday morning.

Authorities used a helicopter and bloodhounds and set up a large search perimeter during the overnight hunt. Reverse emergency notifications were sent to everyone within a half-mile of the jail, Kelley said.

“To some degree, we aren’t talking about all the steps we are taking because we don’t want to tip our hand,” Kelley said.

Sandlin was being held on a laundry list of offenses including burglary, trespassing, theft, motor vehicle theft and felon in possession of a hand gun. He was being held in the jail’s most secure pod because of his alleged drug use and long criminal history.

As of Monday morning, the jail was housing 1,265 prisoners, Kelley said. Officials closed all outdoor recreation areas as they investigated possible weaknesses in other areas.

The sheriff’s office asks anyone with tips about Sandlin’s escape to call 303-271-5612. Anyone who sees Sandlin should call 911.

Politics reporter. He has worked at The Denver Post since the summer of 2014, covering cops, courts, politics, environment, skiing and everything in between. He loves telling stories about Colorado's mountain towns and the Eastern Plains and wants to make sure our newspaper's great work extends into their communities.

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